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Moving my step dads boat, very easy with a trailer described by Jeff and John!

Marty

03-25-2009 07:04 PM

wind_magic

Considering moving a boat over land and putting it into a field is very disconcerting.

You should learn something every day and that's what I learned today.

03-25-2009 05:55 PM

TejasSailer

Lauching our boat actually required two cranes. A small first crane laid down matting on shifty soil for the second crane.

03-25-2009 04:03 PM

Freesail99

Quote:

RECORD HIS QUOTE ON VIDEO BEFORE HE STARTS. The charge for moving my boat increased by 50% after he had unloaded it. The video saved me.

This is so true, not a lot of honest guys out there. First people I hired used a low boy flat bed and the very first bridge they came to, they had to turn back. The boat was too tall. buyer beware.

03-25-2009 04:02 PM

sailingdog

I'd hesitate to use a field.... the chances of the ground not being densely packed enough and getting soggy enough for the stands to shift is pretty high. You're much better off if you can put the boat down on firmly packed gravel or concrete instead.

Most cranes will not be able to lift 20,000 too far off axis... so the distance from the road you'd be able to put the boat would be fairly limited. IMHO, you better off putting in a concrete pad and using a hydraulic trailer.

Also, getting the quote on video is a great idea, but getting it in writing is usually sufficient.

03-25-2009 03:59 PM

Capnblu

Well what you are contemplating is what I did this past year. I had no luck finding an outfit that could/would haul my boat the distance I needed, so I was stuck with the flatdeck method, and a crane on my end. The crane is going to be around a thousand dollars, to pick it straight up, and put it straight down. The crane weighs 10 X what your boat does. The crane guy is going to want a SOLID base. You should be thinking about 6" of road base minimum, depending on soil conditions. Have ALOT of dunnage on hand to level the boat. A simple pick and put will still take 4 hours, unless you have lots of hands helping. Cranes around here charge by a 4 hr minimum. They also add additional charges to supply spreader bars that somehow don't come with the crane, or estimate, but are needed nonetheless. After enjoying working on your boat close to home, someone, will complain to the city bylaws, and you may get to move it again! I had to. Before I moved it, I had bylaws tell me that my new location was ok. When you get a quote from your mover guy, RECORD HIS QUOTE ON VIDEO BEFORE HE STARTS. The charge for moving my boat increased by 50% after he had unloaded it. The video saved me.

03-25-2009 03:37 PM

wind_magic

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnRPollard

Windy,

Let me add to Jeff's note above that the hydraulic trailer of which he speaks is capable of picking up the boat and setting it down without any need for a crane or a travellift. A hydraulic trailer is what you want, assuming you have a paved or hardpack surface that the trailer can back into and set the boat down on.

If you have to get the vessel into a back yard with no access for the trailer, then it's a crane you'll be wanting.

Thank you Jeff and John, I'm so happy you guys are responding to my request for information, I know you both have a lot of experience in boating and I appreciate your input.

The site is basically just a field. Without modification there isn't a way to back a tractor trailer down into the spot, it'll have to sit on the road, so I think a crane is about my only option. Another option I suppose would be to modify the site so that a tractor trailer could back down into it but I'd really rather not do that if it can be avoided, it would be an unsightly mess with gravel all over the place.

Edit - wow, lots of responses, thank you all!

03-25-2009 03:37 PM

Faster

Another vote for a boat mover that has the versatile hydraulic trailer. In addition to being able to raise/lower the boat from blocks and stands, the axles split so they can drag the trailer out from under.

03-25-2009 03:35 PM

c40eb

Quote:

Originally Posted by wind_magic

That sounds like a good course of action. I am a few hundred miles from the closest marina, but I think talking to someone who does this for a living is a very good idea. One of my worries with the stands, besides getting them set up to hold the boat and not fall over, of course, is that the ground may not be the best for holding the boat, it is just a field. I assume I need to prep the site before even considering putting a boat on stands, so that probably involves gravel, or some concrete pads, etc, that is the kind of thing I need to figure out I think. I'm too far away from the coast to even consider putting the boat into an established yard to work on it, the drive would be too far and I wouldn't get anything done.

I've had our boat on dirt/hardpack...and used good sized wooden pads under each leg of the stands. Probably would not be a good idea in soft ground with mud potential. Got to keep an eye on washout and adjust the stands every once in a while to make sure they're tight.

03-25-2009 03:35 PM

JohnRPollard

Quote:

Originally Posted by wind_magic

That sounds like a good course of action. I am a few hundred miles from the closest marina, but I think talking to someone who does this for a living is a very good idea. One of my worries with the stands, besides getting them set up to hold the boat and not fall over, of course, is that the ground may not be the best for holding the boat, it is just a field. I assume I need to prep the site before even considering putting a boat on stands, so that probably involves gravel, or some concrete pads, etc, that is the kind of thing I need to figure out I think. I'm too far away from the coast to even consider putting the boat into an established yard to work on it, the drive would be too far and I wouldn't get anything done.

A hard pack surface or pad is best, but plenty of folks put boats in their yards/fields. The normal m.o. is to place 3/4+" plywood pads under the jackstands, to spread the load and avoid sinking in.

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